The disclosure relates generally to a method for reducing occurrences of tape stick conditions in magnetic tape, and more particularly to a method for reducing occurrences of tape stick conditions in magnetic tape disposed in a reel-to-reel tape drive.
As linear and track densities are increased for magnetic tape in reel-to-reel tape drives, it becomes desirable to have smoother and smoother media. Tape stick conditions are a long-standing problem with tape drives, and smoother media leads to more frequent occurrences of adherence between the tape and magnetic heads of the drives, especially in humid conditions. A primary cause of head to tape sticking is the “Jo-block” effect, wherein two smooth surfaces are rubbed against each other squeezing out any lubricating air interface and causing the two smooth surfaces to stick. However, it should be noted that other mechanisms of head to tape sticking are also possible.
Once the tape sticks to the head, the drive tends to drop tension because it cannot move the tape. This leaves the drive with stuck or broken tape, which is an extremely undesirable condition to a user. Further, the sticking effect may be accentuated by thin media because of tighter head to tape conforming. Once stuck to the head, the risk to breaking the tape is very high. As such, it would be desirable to reduce occurrences of stick conditions between the tape and head of a reel-to-reel tape drive.